


Of Len and red leather wearing heroes

by dreamerbydawn



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Coldflash run into Thea, Established Relationship, M/M, Prompt Fill, Secret Relationship, Seriously awesome Thea, Thea is a total Badass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-16 10:58:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5825947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamerbydawn/pseuds/dreamerbydawn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Never once had Barry thought the first person to find out about his relationship with Len would be Thea Queen. Cisco maybe. or Joe. Hell, even Oliver. </p><p> But it's not like he could have imagined their weekend getaway to Starling City would involve them accidentally mistaking Thea for a damsel in distress.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Len and red leather wearing heroes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BuchananGalaxyCarter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuchananGalaxyCarter/gifts).



> I didn't know I was going to fall in love with this Brotp when I started writing this, just like I didn't realize how long this fic turned out! Damn!

 It’s been one of the most pleasant days Barry has had in – _God, he doesn’t even remember_. It’s just been too long, and a day when he can hang up his suit and kick back to simply _relax_ has been long overdue.

 Of course, the added bonus of this whole day being spent with _Len_ is just icing on the cake. Barry cringes internally at how he can’t stop himself from walking into these cold puns, but whatever, he’s too happy to care.

 Spending the weekend at Starling City had been a brilliant idea. 

 Sure, he still fears Felicity’s wrath, once he tells her - _and by that he means inevitably slips up_ \- that he’d been in the city, and hadn’t bothered to pay her a visit. But dropping by for a quick chat without involving Len was impossible…not to mention this whole weekend was about just the two of them.

 And they were managing admirably well so far.

 He hadn’t received any emergency calls from STAR labs or Joe; the rogues seemed to have taken their orders, and let up on increasing the crime rate in Central city for the weekend, and Starling City’s vigilante’s were more than capable of handling whatever was going on here.

 So yes, Barry didn’t even feel bad about all the stolen money that Len was spending on fancy hotel suites and expensive room service.

 They’d arrived late last night – Len had actually driven them here, claiming a streak might be noticed, but Barry calls a bluff on that one because he knows his boyfriend just enjoys roadtrips.

 Len plans them like he does a heist but whatever, at least his partner indulged his music, so yeah, it was slow but not unbearable (And Barry had made the excuse of forgetting to pack socks to Flash home and back when he started losing patience with the drive, and another time when he insisted they needed to have take out from the Thai place near the CCPD)

 Anyway, almost twenty four hours later, they were now successfully done with everything on their itinerary for the day. A late morning, with a musical early noon, a food festival for lunch, some shopping, followed by a long stroll through a park and some dinner later, and now they were both more than ready to head back to their hotel.   

 The relatively warm evening meant they decided to walk the few blocks there, and Barry was blissed out as he hummed absently, attention centered only on the grounding feeling of Len’s hand in his.

 Which was why the signal didn’t immediately register with Barry when Len squeezed his hand. Instead, he’d simply squeezed back and turned to look at Len with a contented smile – which wore off the instant he saw Len glaring ahead.

 Barry’s gaze followed his line of sight until he saw a group of men catcalling at the young girl walking alone a few yards ahead of them. He could Flash them away in a matter of seconds of course, but Len’s tight grip on his hand kept him where he was.

 The street was relatively empty but there were several cameras and without his suit, Barry Flashing them out of there, would undoubtedly lead to someone looking through the footage and they’d been walking down here long enough for him to be made.

 Huffing with frustration, Barry took Len’s lead of increasing their pace and following after the men who were by now trailing the petite girl up ahead.

 “You wanna slow down there _darling_?” They heard one of the men call out.

 Almost immediately the young girl sped up, her high heels tapping loudly on the pavement as her steps rushed.

 “ _Aw come on now_ , we could all have a nice night if you just play along” Another man from the group added, the men along with Barry and Len all quickening their pace to match hers.

 “There’s a big belly burger up ahead. If we step in, you should be able to head towards the restroom and Flash out and back no problem” Len says softly, but Barry doesn’t miss the pure ice in his tone.

  Neither of them took their eyes off the men, Barry simply nodding and relaxing slightly now that they had a plan. 

  One that gone thrown out the window the instant the intended victim of the night turned a corner, and right into what Barry guessed was a deserted alley -her followers barely a few steps behind.

 “Damn it!” Len barked, instantly tugging Barry along and breaking into a run.

 “Well boys, is no one going to make the first move?” The girl is taunting just as Barry and Len turn the corner.

 “Yes, please do. Then I’ll know exactly how many of you are going to find yourselves laid up in hospital beds” Len threatens menacingly, even as Barry gapes at the petite brunette standing on the other side of those punks.

 “Thea?!?” He asks, stunned, and only barely noticing the way Len’s eyes were flicking his way.

 “Hey Barry” She grins, feral.  “Think you’d mind hanging around for a couple of seconds while I handle these morons?”

 “Uh sure?” Barry frowns doubtfully, taking his confused boyfriend’s hand to keep him by his side.

 There’s barely a moment of silence, Len and one of the idiots in the alley both beginning to ask their questions, when Thea jumps into action.

 Her lithe body moves in a fluid arc as she launches herself forward, handling the scumbags like any predator would it’s prey. By the time the first man was down for the count, Len had overcome his shock though.

 “Let me guess, member of team Arrow?” He drawls casually, even though Barry can sense a different kind of tenseness in his partner.

  Of course, the idea of Oliver hearing of their relationship is worrying, and Len is too smart to not recognize a threat, or not err on the side of caution until this situation has played itself out.

 It’s why Barry grips Len’s hand tighter, silently reminding him of Barry’s own support, before answering the question “Thea Queen, Oliver’s sister”

 “You told your boyfriend Ollie’s secret? That’s not going to go well” Thea comments, lazily kicking a guy at her feet perfectly in his shin now that she was done with all of them. 

 “Anyone with two working brain cells can tell who the Arrow is” Len scoffs and the young girl glares at him disgruntled.

 “You’d think so” She mutters, venting her frustration on another guy, even as she crosses over the piled up, knocked out human garbage on the ground between them,

 “Thea found out relatively recently” Barry offered in explanation.

 “Well, jokes on them. I’m the first to find out the juicy details of Barry’s mystery boyfriend.” She comments offhandedly, before adding “Felicity is going to be so _pissed_ ”

 Barry is still groaning at this unmitigated disaster, just as Thea sticks out her hand to Len, warm smile on her face “So, as you already know, Thea Queen, codename Speedy.”

 He side eyes Len, who sighs imperceptibly as he comments at the pair “There is something wrong with your circle of friends, most people don’t need codenames you realize?”

 “Like you have any right to talk” Barry retorts, the tension leaking out of his body just a little knowing Len was willing to play this cool.

  Ignoring another unintentional, internal pun, he redirects his attention at Thea as he introduces “Leonard Snart, Captain Cold”

 The younger Queen arches a surprised eyebrow and the tension seeps back into Barry, only to leave again in half a moment when she whistles “Oh wow, if that’s how your villains look, I’m totally jealous”

 Len’s surprise is barely better concealed than Barry's, and Thea rolls her eyes at the pair of them as she continues “Seriously, have you seen Deathstroke? And there’s Huntress who has crazy eyes that reveal her secret psycho and that’s just the beginning of that list”

 “Is that – I mean are you – uh –“ Barry struggled to articulate, before helplessly turning to Len for some support.

 “Are people in Starling City always prone to missing the point?”  Len asks, effortlessly earning himself another dark look from Thea.

 “Anyway, I’m guessing what you’re trying to ask is, do I not care that you’re dating a criminal mastermind and Super villain?” She asks a still stunned Barry before adding snidely to Len “Neither of which is meant to be a compliment”

 “Then you need to work better on your insults” Len replies simply, just as Barry finally manages to collect himself.

 “Yeah, yeah exactly that.” He says, pointing at himself “ _Flash_ ” and then at Len “ _Captain Cold_ ” then looking back at Thea “You don’t see the problem?”

 “Well let’s see, what’s the worst thing he’s done? Kill a few people? So have I. We're all trying to be better. Also, quick reminder, Malcom Merlyn is my father” Thea still seems entirely unperturbed.

 Barry’s perpetual state of shock causes Len to take up his end of the conversation again “Are you certain you read the vigilante handbook?”

 “You ran in here ready to defend my honor, I’d be an idiot to not give you the benefit of the doubt. Just like I’d be a terrible friend to not give Barry a chance to explain” She answers, this time sounding perfectly serious.

 “Could you maybe give Oliver that memo?” Barry finally finds his voice with that weak attempt at humor.

 “Ollie in a big brother mode isn’t going to approve of _anyone_ you date Barry. Doesn’t make a difference if you hunt down the finest, most respectable specimen of a man or date a criminal” Thea is grinning wide, obviously taking a lot of pleasure in knowing someone else was going to be dealing with Oliver version 7 – _'the overprotective big brother'_.

 “Sounds like a charming man” Len drawls lazily, once again drawing Thea’s attention.

 “He can be, but he’s definitely going to beat the rest of Team Flash there when it comes to drawing your blood, should you ever hurt Barry.” Thea warns.

 “Is this your version of the shovel talk Miss. Queen?” Len asks, standing his ground and steadily meeting her gaze.

 “No, _this_ is my shovel talk. I’ve not known Barry for very long. But Oliver and Felicity love him dearly. And any family of theirs is family to me. So just know there are a lot of people to rain hell down on you if you hurt him Snart.” Thea, despite her size, sounds utterly dangerous and it finally snaps Barry out of his stupor.

 “Uh Thea, not that I don’t appreciate it, because I do. _So much_. You have no idea how great it is that you even kind of approve. But I’m a grown man. I can take care of myself” He informs, still a little touched by her sentiment.

 “I know dummy. But you might not want to use that line when you finally figure out a way to tell Ollie all this” Thea giggles and this time it’s Len that’s thrown into a shocked silence.

 “You’re not going to tell him?” Barry questions, also taken aback.

 “Secrets are a part of this life.” She tells him, before all traces of seriousness disappear and she adds for Len’s benefit “I read the vigilante handbook”

 Barry is surprised by how Len actually laughs at that, a small soft sound that rings true “Looks like I always end up liking the vigilantes in red”

 “It’s the best color.” Thea promptly agrees, while Barry laughs and holds his partner a little closer.

\----x----

**Few Months later**

 “Get your act together Snart” Sara commands from where she is leaning against the door, casual as can be.

 Len is about to ask her to mind her own business, when he notices her smirk “I know you prefer your vigilantes in red, but being civil with the rest won’t kill you”

 With that she walks away and all Len can think of, is how this is all Barry’s fault.   

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, kudos or new Coldflash prompts are accepted with much love xx


End file.
